Drawing on the expertise of a wide range of professionals, Inside the Contemporary Conservatoire: Critical Perspectives from the Royal College of Music, London presents fresh perspectives on the work of music conservatoires today through an in-depth case study of the Royal College of Music (RCM), London. Problematising the role and purpose of conservatoires in the context of changing cultural and societal conditions, the contributors reframe the conservatoire as a vehicle for positive change in the performing arts and society at large.

Organised into three main sections, the volume covers conservatoire identities and values, teaching and learning music at a conservatoire, and reflections on the conservatoires of the future. Diverse voices from inside and outside the RCM reflect viewpoints from professional musicians, academics, industry, and the student community, spanning topics such as arts practice, music pedagogy and education, technology, inclusion, employability, entrepreneurship, performance science, material culture, and philanthropy.

With chapters that combine interviews, case studies, analysis, critical reflection, and perspectives from inside and outside the RCM, this book offers an in-progress model for the forward-thinking conservatoire, underpinned by renewed emphasis on equitable, innovative, sustainable, and technologically enabled artistic practice.